Malaysia’s public university admission process is facing renewed criticism over its treatment of high-performing students who despite achieving exceptional academic and co-curricular results, are finding themselves denied entry into their preferred courses.

One such case is that of Edward Wong Yi Xian, a standout STPM student whose rejection from Universiti Malaya’s (UM) Accounting programme has sparked public debate.

The 20-year-old from Bukit Mertajam spent two years immersed in STPM preparation, earning a perfect CGPA of 4.0, straight A’s across all subjects, and an outstanding 9.9/10 for co-curricular involvement. His combined merit score stood at an impressive 99.9%.

Image Credit: Wee Ka Siong | Facebook

"We endure because we believe that Malaysia will reward hard work"

Despite applying to six public universities via the Unit Pusat Universiti (UPU) including UM, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Wong received no offers for Accounting, nor was he granted an interview. 

Instead, he was offered a Management course at USM, his fifth choice.

“I had only one dream – to be accepted into UM’s Accounting programme. I poured in all my energy, time and effort, fighting through the most challenging syllabus in the country. I never gave up because I believed that if we gave our all, the results would come,” Wong said at a press conference at Wisma MCA on Monday (Sept 8).

Initially, Wong didn’t apply to UM due to its requirement of three core subjects. When the university later revised the criteria to two, Accounting and Economics, which he had taken, he reapplied. Still, his application was rejected.

“In the end, the four leading universities did not offer me Accounting. I was only given Management at USM – not the path I had dedicated myself to."

Wong also noted that some peers with slightly lower scores were accepted into UM, albeit not in their desired programmes, forcing them to settle.

Image Credit: The Star

“So I must ask, not only for myself, how far must we go to chase our dreams? How much must we struggle just to have the right to choose? Is our hard work not valued?” he said.

His father, Wong Hooi Yik, expressed disappointment, saying his son’s near-perfect score should have warranted fair consideration. The family remains hopeful as the appeal window is open until Sept 14.

Calls for reform

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, who brought attention to Wong’s case, criticised the university admission system for its inconsistencies.

He pointed out that Wong was offered a spot in UM’s Accounting programme under the Saluran Terbuka Universiti Awam (SATU) channel on July 23, but with a hefty tuition fee of RM83,800, compared to around RM8,000 under UPU.

“This doesn’t make sense. Wong should have been admitted under UPU with his 99.9% overall score. Yet he was rejected there but accepted under SATU, where the fees are more than 10 times higher. Does this not render UPU meaningless?”

He condemned SATU as a commercial route that disadvantages students from lower- and middle-income backgrounds.

 Image Credit: Wee Ka Siong | Facebook

“This is another toxic example showing flaws in the system. Students forfeit their matriculation option but still cannot secure their preferred courses,” he added.

Dr Wee called on the government to ensure equal treatment for top scorers across all STPM streams and said he would raise the issue with Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir. He also urged UM to clarify why Wong was rejected via UPU but accepted under SATU.

“The government must not allow such unfair practices to persist. Confidence in the university admission process must be restored,” he said.

Watch the press conference below:

Fetaured Image Credit: Wee Ka Siong | Facebook, The Star